Holt County

Holt County sits at a median home price of $188,987, which places it at the affordable end of the Nebraska market and earns it an affordability score of 90 out of 100. The 3.43% year-over-year price appreciation is measured rather than speculative, and the appreciation score of 81 suggests the model sees meaningful upside relative to peers. The cash flow score, however, comes in at 0, and the cap rate and cash-on-cash return fields are unpopulated, which signals that at current prices and a 6.85% financing rate, the numbers do not pencil to positive cash flow on a standard underwrite. This is not a spread market. Holt sits toward the appreciation end of the spectrum, with affordability providing a lower entry cost but financing drag eating into any monthly income the rent roll might otherwise generate.

That profile makes Holt a better fit for an appreciation buyer or a longer-hold operator who can tolerate near-breakeven or slightly negative monthly carry in exchange for equity growth in a low-priced, low-competition market. The affordability index of 90 means the county is accessible to the tenant pool, which supports occupancy. But a pure cash-flow buyer running the numbers at a $188,987 purchase with a 20% down payment and a 6.85% rate should not expect meaningful monthly surplus from a standard acquisition. A value-add operator who can force equity through renovation and then refinance at a lower basis may find more room, but the data as presented does not indicate what rent levels are achievable, so that thesis requires the investor to source local comps independently before committing.

The dataset does not include economic anchor employers or a local economy note for Holt County, so no claims about specific job drivers or institutional demand will be made here. What the population figure of 10,149 does communicate is that this is a small, rural Nebraska county. Thin population density typically means a concentrated rental demand pool, limited tenant turnover options, and longer vacancy periods when a unit turns, even if the data does not supply a specific vacancy rate. Investors accustomed to metro or suburban dynamics should recalibrate expectations for leasing velocity and the depth of the renter market.

The carry cost picture deserves attention. Nebraska's state-average effective property tax rate is 1.73%, which the Tax Foundation flags as high, and at that rate the annual tax bill on this property comes to $3,269. Add $1,096 in estimated annual insurance and the combined monthly tax-and-insurance burden is $364. On a $188,987 purchase, that is a meaningful fixed cost that does not flex downward when the unit is vacant. At 1.73%, the rate is high enough to deserve its own line on your underwrite, and you should verify the actual Holt County and township rate before closing, since the figure used here is a state-average estimate and county-level rates can differ materially in Nebraska. The $364 monthly figure is not a dealbreaker at this price point, but it is a real drag on any cash flow thesis and should not be buried in a blended expense ratio.

The risk profile for a market this size centers on concentration. With fewer than 11,000 residents, the departure of a single major employer, a demographic shift, or a prolonged agricultural downcycle could meaningfully contract the rental demand pool. The county's stability score of 50 reflects that exposure directly. This is not a market where you can easily re-tenant a property by pulling from an adjacent neighborhood, and management optionality is limited when the local contractor and property manager pool is thin.

Among the neighboring counties provided, Holt at $188,987 is the second-lowest entry point, sitting above Brown County at $149,197 and below Dawson, Saline, Garfield, and Hamilton. Dawson County is the one neighbor with rent data available, showing a median rent of $1,256 and a rent-to-price ratio of 0.075, which is notably more favorable than what the Holt data implies. Garfield County at $216,769 carries a slightly higher overall score of 75. Hamilton County at $291,495 is the most expensive of the group at the same overall score of 74 as Holt, suggesting you are paying significantly more for equivalent modeled performance. Choose Holt over its neighbors when your primary objective is the lowest possible acquisition cost in Nebraska and you are willing to accept the illiquidity and concentration risk that come with a sub-11,000-person county. If cash flow is the priority, the Dawson County rent-to-price ratio of 0.075 makes it the stronger candidate from the data available here.